They'd been driving for days.And, when they finally ran out of land, they flew.Six months. They'd been running (though, as many would say later, they last thing they would do was run from anything) in constant for six months. Driving thousands of miles around the country they had once travelled so safely in. Never staying in one place for long, never stopping to simply climb out of the car and stop for a few moments to breathe, always avoiding and sneaking with one eye cast behind them. It was funny--they hadn't even realized it was the twenty-fifth of December until one of the flight attendants took it upon herself to belt out a few carols with her her fellow co-workers at the stroke of midnight. They'd both stared at each other in quiet wonderment. Where had the time gone?She hadn't tipped her hair colour yet, though they both knew that the time was fast approaching when she would have to wash one of the last remnants of their old life away. He was glad she hadn't gotten the heart to do it yet. He grown so used to the copper fire that lately had begun its descent far past the shoulder-length bob she had once kept it at that there was no way he could imagine it any other way. She, for her part, couldn't bring herself to change the familiarity of something as simple as the colour of her hair. Anything they could hold on to from their past, they did.
They mutually thought, though neither knew that other had, that the feeling of sitting next to one another on yet another airplane headed for God knows where was one of the things that reminded them of their past. Back then, he was usually to be found napping in his cramped ailse seat while she typed away one of many thousands of reports they were required to hand in at the completion of their escapades. Now, though, they sat contentedly side-by-side with exhaustion written all over their faces and a look of haunting in their eyes. They'd be gone for so long...
The plane landed at a half-past eleven Christmas Day. They left the big-bellied aircraft with their travel bags slung over their shoulders, hands joined more out of a subconscious yearning for another's touch than anything else. The warm, humid air of the island was the first thing to greet them as they stepped into the open terminal of the airport--of which shocked them at first, not being used to the thickness of their surroundings--and quickly settled itself into their skin and bones. Relaxation fell upon their bodies.
He had started to worry about her more and more, the farther from home they got. The paranoia, the stress, the never knowing where they would end up next, or when they would finally be caught. But, mostly, he knew it was the distance from a little boy in Wyoming that was slowly breaking her spirit. Their son...they'd be away from him for so long. He'd never gotten to say goodbye before she had been forced to hand their baby over to an adoption agency. It was to protect him, they both knew that, but it crushed them both to think of the son they would never get to raise.But now, he'd fix that. He would. It was why he had finally brought her here--to stop running, to settle for a space of time longer than a few days. He'd contacted the Gunmen through channels not even she was aware of to tell them of his plans, and they had obliged as he knew they would. Everything was set up. It would work.She slept on his shoulder for the duration of the taxi ride to their latest hideout. She'd been so tired lately, tried to hide it from him as best she could, but he knew. He always knew. He could read her like a book, and at the same time could continue to be surprised at the woman he still called his partner. But, with luck, she would react to their new home in precisely the manner he hoped she would.It took over half an hour to travel from the airport to the house he'd rented for them. He paid the driver in cash (they never carried credit or debit cards anymore) and collected their luggage from the back while she stood in front one of the huge palm trees of the front yard. The only light along the street came from the twinkling Christmas lights that lined the shake-tiled roofs, and from the full moon's glow over the quiet neighbourhood; the combination cast a soft cadence over her world-weary body, striking him with the sudden thought that, no matter what, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. He'd known that ever since she'd walked into his office ten years ago and changed his life as he knew it.It wasn't often, especially lately, that he got excited about anything. There was nothing to look forward to, nothing to truly celebrate anymore. But, if he was honest with himself, he could feel his anticipation building despite himself as he gently took her hand in his and guided her to the front door. He couldn't help it.The house was dark. He slid the key out of the lock, and stepped in to allow her to enter the front foyer that he knew opened into the spacious living room. The lights came on a moment later as he found the switch by the door.It was the soft, boyish giggle that turned her head. Tiny hands clapped together while chubby little legs bounced excitedly off of the carrier, eyes wide in delight at the sight of the two people his infant mind had been dreaming of while asleep. She inhaled sharply. He knew she was wondering if her own eyes deceived her; he was sure he would have, had he not arranged for everything himself. He watched as she took a few tentative steps forward with her hands shaking at her mouth."William," she breathed. The little boy giggled again, reaching for her. She dashed across the remaining space that separated mother from son and quickly freed him from the constraints of his seat, pulling him into the most heartbreaking of embraces. "William!"He chose to merely observe their first reunion, rather than join in. He had known howpainful it was for her to make the decision to give their son up without even telling him, and he had known how hard it was for her to tell him of her actions when they were finally reunited months later. It felt only right for him to give them space while she recovered from the shock of holding her--their--son once more.Teary, she rose from her knees with William safely ensconced in her arms to meet his gaze. Her eyes were filled with the sparkle he had missed so desperately ever since he had left after the little boy's birth, her face glowing with the kind of happiness he had seen so precious little of in their years together. He smiled."How-?" Her voice was cracked with emotion. She stared down in astonishment at the little boy now dutifully sucking on his fist, tiny spit bubbles popping around his mouth. He was smiling again."I contacted the Gunmen," he said, slowly walking over to the two to wrap an arm around her. "They set everything up."He knew she wanted to ask more. He knew she wanted to know how they'd done it, how the couple in Wyoming had managed to let go of their adopted son, how the baby in her arms had gotten to the house without a trace of those after them in his wake. And he would tell her--in time. Not tonight. Not when everything finally felt so perfect."Tomorrow," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I promise."She said nothing. She understood; they had so much to talk about, to consider--better to leave it when both were more alert and not so uninhibited. The mere presence of their son had somehow disarmed her usually iron-clad barriers, made her feel more soft and vulnerable, and at the same time strong. It was how he made her feel.Silently, with his arm still wrapped around her, he guided them through the dark house into the bedroom. The arrangements he'd made included furnishing the small house with everything they'd need for the first few days on the island, and he was once again thankful for his fore thinking when he spotted a crib sitting on the other side of the room. He knew, however, that there was no way he was going to separate himself from his family--God, his family--for the night.They said nothing. There was nothing to be said. They paused long enough to shed their slightly grubby clothes and climb into sleep clothes before lowering their son onto the bed. His thumb was stubbornly stuck in his mouth; they watched him blink slowly at them through thick eyelashes until his tiny eyelids drooped into sleep.Silently, as gently as they could, they both slipped up onto the bed beside the sleeping baby. Though he still had his thumb in his mouth,William managedto cuddleup into his mother'sbreast and leave one hand reaching for his father. It curled protectively around his finger as soon as he'd reached for the little hand.Fox Mulder smiled at his family in the moonlight.Slowly, carefulnot to wake William, he wrapped his armsaround the two people who mattered most to him in the entire world. A moment later he felt her hand reaching for his in the dark while the other swaddled their son's back. This, he decided, was how his life was supposed to be. There was no other way it could be.They slept.